Rollerway chuting



ug. 9, 1960 M. DABlcH' ROLLERWAYCHUTING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1959 HTTFNEYS.

Aug. 9, 1960 M. DABICH 2,948,375

ROLLERWAY CHUIGING Filed Feb. 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wyd WMM? United States Patent Oiiice ROLLERWAY CHUTING y Michael Dahan, sf. clair shores, Mich., assiggr to F. Jos. Lamb Co., Warren, Mich., a corporation of Michigan y. l

Filed Feb. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 794,907

Z'Claims. (Cl. 193-35) 'I'his invention rel-ates to improvements in chuting for conveying articles by gravity, and has particular reference to chuting of the type disclosed in my prior patent Nol 2,815,841, issued December 10, 1957, for Chuting Chuting of the type disclosed in suchfpatent is adapted to support the article carried thereby either by sliding or rolling movement of the article on a carrier rail. Some articles, because of the shape thereof or the surface thereof, cannot be so moved or must be handled more carefully so as to avoid damaging such articles.

`A principal object of the invention, therefore, is to provide chuting of such type with means to provide -a continuous rolling support for an article conveyed there- .by

Another object of the invention is to provide chuting for conveying irregularly shaped articles.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and may be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, of which there are two sheets, which by way of illustration show preferred embodiments of the invention and what I now consider to be the best mode of applying the principles thereof. -Other embodiments of the invention may be used without departing from the scope yof the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of chuting embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the chuting of Figure 1 with parts broken raway;

'Figure 4 is a perspective view of the chuting shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional View similar to Figure 2 but illustrating a modied form of the invention; and

Figures 6 and 7 are sectional views similar to Figure 2 but illustrating further modified forms of the invention.

Chuting embodying the invention, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, includes opposed flexible side guide rails 10 and 12 having a carrier rail 14 extending longitudinally therebetween. The rails 10, 12 and 14 are formed of suitable ilexible sheet metal strip stock and provided with longitudinally spaced, longitudinally extending apertures or slots 16. The side rails 10 and 12 extend upwardly beyond the carrier rail 114 so 4as to deine the sides of a conveying chute or channel. Bolts 118 extend through the :apertures 16, and spacers 20 are disposed on each bolt for spacing the carrier rail 14 from the side rails 10 and 12. A nut 22 is threadedly secured to the threaded end of each of the bolts 18 and cooperates therewith and with the spacers 20 for securing the guide and carrier rails in spaced relation throughout their length.

As disclosed in my prior patent, the exible stock permits curving the rails and hence the chute, while the elongated apertures accommodate the bolts which, when the nuts 22 Iare tightened thereon, secure the rails in uniformly spaced relation throughout their length. This facilitates the adjustment and positioning of the chuting.'-

A series of rollers 24 are mounted on the carrier rail 14 with the peripheral portion of each ofthe rollers fi projecting above the carrier rail, the rollers being so disposed in relation to each other as to providea continuous rolling support 4for an article conned between the vguide rails 10 and 12. Each roller 24 is mounted cna-bolt 26 which extends through an v'aperture in the rail 14. A spacer 28 on the bolt 26 cooperates with a i lock nut 30 threaded on the threaded end of thebolt 26 for locating the roller 24 on the bolt 26. The roller 24 preferably includes an antifriction bearing so that the roller is free to turn. Since the rollers provide a continuous rolling support for an article, such as a piston 32 sliding movement thereof. The use of rollers is particularly advantageous in the case of articles such as the pistons 32, since the piston may be supported on its face rather than on its periphery where surface finish is of greater importance. The rollers 24 may be arranged on opposite sides of the carrier rail 14, as shown in Figs. l and 2, or where no such rail is provided, the rollers may be mounted on the side rails 10 and 12, as shown in Fig. 7, with the bolts 26 located in apertures abovethe apertures 16, or in the apertures 16.

Where an elongated body, such as the cylinder 34 Aindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, is to be conveyed, the rollers 36 instead of being cylindrical may be frusto-conical and disposed as shown in Fig. 5'so as to support and guide the body with its longitudinal axis parallel to the carrier rail 14. The rollers 24 of course may be of greater axial length than shown in Fig. 2 so as to provide a larger support area for the article being conveyed.

In cases where the article to be conveyed is irregular in shape and includes a stem or shank 38, such as the article 40 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, two carrier rails 42 and `44 may be employed instead of the single carrier rail 14, and in such case the rails 42 and 44 are mounted on the side rails 10 and 12 by bolts and spacers so as to leave the space between the carrier rails 42 and 44 unobstructed whereby the stem or shank 38 of the cylindrical body A40 may depend through the unobstructed slot between the carrier rails 42 and 44. The arrangement of Fig. 6 accommodates the shank 38 while permitting the body 40 4to be supported by rollers 24.

A U-shaped bracket 46 straddles the side rails 10 and 12 and a bolt 18 passes through holes in such bracket to form a means for suspending the chuting. In the case of Figure 6 such bracket 46 in addition forms a means for securing the two sides of the chuting in relation to each other.

As shown in Figures l and 4, portions of the rails 10 and 12 are disposed in diverging relation and cooperate with other side guide rails `48 and 50 to denne diverging guide channels 52 and 5'4 which merge into the channel 56. The guide rails 48 and 50 are like the rails 10 and 12, and a carrier rail 14 is disposed in each of the channels 52 and 54 between the side guide rails thereof in the same manner in which the rail 14 is disposed between the side rails 10 and 12. Side guide rails 48 and S6 diverge from a locus intermediate the diverging portion of the rails 10 and 12 and cooperate therewith to form the separate diverging channels 52 and 54 which merge to form the single guide channel 56.

In the channels 52 and 54 the rollers 24 are mounted on the carrier rail 14 in the manner previously described to provide a continuous rolling support for an article Patented Aug. '9, 1960 conveyed between 'the guide rails of the channel, and i the guide rails and carrier rails of each of the channels 52 and 54 are secured together in the manner previously described. v

A movable guide rail section 60 pivoted on a shaft 62. is adapted to be positioned across either one of the diverg ing guide channels 52 and 5'4 so as to form a side guide' rail for the other diverging guide channel. The shaft 62 is pivoted in a bracket 64 connected to the adjacent ends of the guide rails 48 and' 50, Iand an arm 66 axed to the shaft 62 is provided for shifting the movable guide rail section 60 between either of the positions shown. Thus articles may -llow by gravity from the channel Y56 into the chanel 52 or 54, depending upon the position of the guide rail section 60; or if the flow is in the other direction, the guide rail section 60 may be employed to control the ow of articles from the channels 52 and 54 into the channel 56. The vguide rails 1'4 for the channels 52 and 54 coverge to a point in line with the end of the rail 14 in the channel 56 so that the rollers 24 will support an article owing through the channel 56 into either of the channels 52 or 54.

The chuting of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 may have rollers as illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 or 7.

While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is understood that these are capable of modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to. the precise details set forth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. IChuting comprising a pair of opposed exible side guide rails, a pair of spaced flexible carrier rails disposed between and parallel to said side rails, said side rails and,

said carrier rails having longitudinally spaced apertures therein, bolts extending through the apertures in each 4. side rail and the lapertures in the adjacent one of said carrier rails to secure each carrier rail to one of said side rails, spacers on said bolts to maintain said carrier rails spaced from said side rails with the space between said carrier rails unobstructed to yform `a longitudinally extending slot between said carrier rails, each of said side rails extending upwardly .above the carrier rail secured thereto, la series of rollers mounted on each of said carrier rails with -a peripheral portion of each roller projecting above the carrier rail to which it is secured,Y

said rollers being arranged relative to each other so as to provide a rolling support for an article confined between said side rails, and means independent of said bolts for securing said side rails in spaced parallel relation.

2. lChuting comprising a pair of opposed liexible side guide rails, a flexible rail disposed between and parallel to said side rails, said side rails and said carrier rail having longitudinally spaced' apertures'therein, bolts extending Ithrough the apertures in said side rails and said carrier rail to secure said carrier rail to said side rails, spacers on said bolts to maintain said side rails and said carrier rail in spaced relation throughout their length, a

' series of rollers mounted on said carrier rail with a peripheral portion of each roller projecting above the carrier rail, said side rails projecting above the said projecting portions of said rollers, said rollers being arranged relative to each other so -as to provide a rolling support for an article conned between said side rails.

References Cited in the tile of this patent 

